Rating of
4/4
"You didn't get me down, Ray."
Arbogast1960 - wrote on 03/31/08
Surely one of the most beautiful films ever made. Gorgeous black and quite cinematography, which not only adds gravitas but also permits the fight scenes to be staged almost operatically; they are remarkably brutal as they stand, but in color they would be unbearable. No other film gives the same sensation of being in the ring, of beating and being beaten, of the blood and sweat that goes into this visceral sport. Remarkably, the boxing matches manage to convey all this while still putting the audience in the protagonist's state of mind; particularly memorable is the hellish final fight against Sugar Ray. De Niro's performance, while legendarily "method," outdoes the legend--weight gain can be a stunt, but De Niro truly embodies a talented man who cannot quite control his drive to pummel his way through life on a day to day basis. And Cathy Moriarty, at only 19, is stunning as the firebrand who matches him punch for punch. A true Scorsese classic.
